I really don’t know what to do about LinkedIn, which is sort of a business equivalent of Facebook. A while ago I was getting invites from people to join their networks so eventually I did set up an account. I put a little bit of information in it but just enough for people to know if I was the Andrew Skudder they knew and not one of the millions of other Andrew Skudders out there.
I’m sure there are lots of things you can do on LinkedIn but I don’t do them. I just accept invites from other people and very little else. I don’t list all my previous jobs including full descriptions using key buzzwords and I certainly don’t pay for an upgraded account. Now I’m getting a little worried.
I know that the site is sometimes used by companies to headhunt people for specific jobs and also by recruiters to check up on applications they receive. If I ever need to change jobs and anybody looks me up they will find an very incomplete set of contacts, quite a small list for 30 years of work, and sketchy descriptions of some old jobs. Would it be better for them to find nothing rather than such a half-arsed set of data?
In other words, should I make an effort to really make myself shine on LinkedIn, delete myself from it or just leave it as it is? Part of me says that the first option is for the sort of person who is a lot more driven than I am.
Anybody got any strong opinions about the benefits or perils of LinkedIn?
I think that it is worth doing if you are made redundant or looking for a job – scenarios that I am familiar with. It is also useful to follow former colleagues/acquaintances when they change job or role etc.
And you do get job invitations occasionally.
So I think that it is useful, but not something to spend a lot of time on.
There are other things crying out for that!